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About Bankruptcy Judges

This repository of materials was developed as a companion to the manual,Navigating Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code, to provide courts with examples of case documents and other resource materials related to issues likely to arise in Chapter 9 cases.

Judge Michelle Harner, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland (at the time of the recording, Professor of Law, University of Maryland School of Law), discusses reasons for the development of the manual, Navigating Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code.

Judge Eduardo Robreno, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and member of the Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System, discusses the origin and development of the manual, Navigating Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code.

This page includes links to several videos about the Chapter 9 process and the purpose of the manual, Navigating Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code. Additional videos will be added over time, including one about municipal financing and bonds.

Some judges have used mediation in Chapter 9 cases to help the parties reach a consensus, or at least narrow the issues, regarding the plan of adjustment. This page includes the mediation orders from several cases, as well as documents from a case in which a motion for the appointment of a mediator was denied. It also includes documents pertaining to the authority of judges, including those from outside the district, to serves as mediators.

Under § 921(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, the chief judge of the court of appeals designates the bankruptcy judge to administer the case. This page provides resources regarding the designation of the bankruptcy judge in a Chapter 9 case, including general guidance for the bankruptcy clerk of court in requesting the designation of a bankruptcy judge from the court of appeals, CM/ECF event codes needed for the designation, a sample request and order for designation, and requests and designation orders used in a selection of cases.

This monograph explains the doctrinal and case-management aspects of fee awards. It analyzes the law of attorneys' fee awards under fee-shifting statutes, the common fund doctrine and its offspring, and the substantial benefit doctrine, and addresses an issue of special significance to bankruptcy courts―the propriety of sua sponte review of fee petitions. It also presents a selection of case-management strategies, based on interviews with judges, attorneys, U.S. trustees, and others.

The Federal Judicial Center produced and maintains this site in furtherance of its statutory mission. The Center regards the contents of this site to be responsible and valuable, but these contents do not reflect official policy or recommendation of the Board of the Federal Judicial Center. The site also contains links to relevant information on websites maintained by other organizations; providing these external links is for the convenience of this site's users and does not constitute verification or endorsement of the information or the sites to which the links are produced. Opinions expressed in the materials found on this site are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of the Federal Judicial Center.